Head Nurse Resume Examples 2023

Research Summary. We analyzed 466 head nurse resumes to determine which ones land the most jobs. Below you'll find examples of resumes that can help you get an interview (and a job offer) from companies like United States Army Corps of Engineers and Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital. Here are the key facts about head nurse resumes to help you get the job:

  • The average head nurse resume is 376 words long
  • The average head nurse resume is 0.8 pages long based on 450 words per page.
  • Patients is the most common skill found on a head nurse resume. It appears on 31.0% of resumes.
After learning about how to write a professional head nurse resume, you can make sure your resume checks all the boxes with our resume builder.

Resume

Head Nurse Resume Example

 
Joe Gonzales
Head Nurse
Contact Information
Los Angeles, CA
(280) 555-3173
Skills
  • Emergency
  • RN
  • Medical-Surgical
  • Area Hospitals
  • Acute Care
  • Health Care
  • Healthcare
  • EKG
  • Social Workers
  • Treatment Plans
Employment History
Head Nurse
2020 - Present
Kaiser Permanente
Los Angeles, CA
  • Trained new grads staff nurses to provide top-quality patient care.
  • Worked in an Intensive Care Unit and managed patient care for up to three critically ill patients.
  • Provide inpatient care for oncology, hematology, nephrology and various medical-surgical patients.
  • Trained 10 staff nurses to provide top-quality patient care.
Clinical Research Nurse
2017 - 2020
DaVita
Los Angeles, CA
  • Evaluate patient treatment plans and modify as necessary in response to patient reactions and conditions during dialysis.
  • Worked in the float pool which included general patient care, evaluation of ongoing processes, medication administration and therapy.
  • Evaluate and coordinate care of patients for placement at Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital, Long Term Acute Care (LTAC).
Nurse Extern
2015 - 2017
Kaiser Permanente
San Diego, CA
  • Provided nursing care to critically ill patients in an urban emergency department.
  • Represented the diabetes program on the local Health Care Team.
  • Provide acute care to patients seeking emergency medical needs.
  • Perform EKG, spirometry, audiometry, Snellen, and other tests.
  • Supervised 12 RN and non-RN medical staff in a busy ambulatory pediatric clinic.
  • Home Health RN performed intake assessments to determine what a patientmay need to care for him/herself at home.
Education
Associate's Degree Nursing
2013 - 2015
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ
 
 
Raymond Knight
Head Nurse
Contact Info
Atlanta, GA
(660) 555-4787
Skills
RNTelemetryCNATravel AssignmentHealth CareCommunicationTreatment PlansStaff MembersEmotional SupportIV
Employment History
Head Nurse
2011 - Present
Kaiser Permanente
Atlanta, GA
  • Served as a resource to other RN's medical assistants, and clerks.
  • Provide direct patient care to pediatric and OB/GYN patients in primary care setting.
  • Instructed new parents in CPR for their infants.
ICU Staff Nurse Staff
2006 - 2011
Florida Hospital Ctr
Altamonte Springs, FL
  • Provided direct patient care to a diverse population in both the emergency room setting, ICU and CVICU setting.
  • Worked ICU,telemetry and Emergency Room.
  • Provide professional nursing care for assigned patients in a mental health/psychiatric environment.
  • Implement and monitor patient care on a medical surgical floor.
Medical Surgical Staff Nurse
2005 - 2006
U of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
  • Completed 120 hours of direct patient care on a busy Telemetry Unit.
  • Cross-trained in the ICU, Medical, Labor and Delivery, and Emergency Room.
  • Focused patient care under strict time constraints.
Education
Associate's Degree Nursing
2003 - 2005
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
 
 
Sara Burns
Head Nurse
Atlanta, GA
sburns@example.com
(490) 555-5360
Experience
Head Nurse
2011 - Present
Kaiser PermanenteAtlanta, GA
  • Provided telephonic advice to members seeking health care services through triaging signs and symptoms.
  • Focus; biology and Launched work from home for RN's through successfully negotiating agreements with OFNHP.
  • Worked collaboratively with physician partners and interdisciplinary staff members/ specialists to accomplish unit quality of care goals.
Nurse Coordinator
2007 - 2011
St. Francis HospitalGreenville, SC
  • Use of persuasion for staff RN, to change their minds and behavior towards new protocols.
  • Staff nurse on Intensive Care Unit providing direct patient care for up to 3 medical and/or surgical patients.
  • Coordinated a mail box system for staff members.
  • General Physical Rehab Start I.V.
Intensive Care Unit Nurse
2001 - 2007
St. Francis HospitalGreenville, SC
  • Participated in new RN precepting and staff education coordination.
  • Sole recipient of the RN Excellence Award for Patient Care and Teaching in 2010.
  • Identified complex patient care issues and developed individualized methods of care.
Skills
RN
Travel Assignment
Picu
CPR
Health Care
Emergency
Patient Care
Performance Improvement
EKG
CNA
Education
Associate's Degree Nursing
1999 - 2001
South UniversitySavannah, GA
 
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How your resume should look:

  • The job title on your resume should match your application for the role.
  • Ensure your work experience focuses on achievements, rather than responsibilities.
  • Recruiters and hiring managers suggest fitting your resume on one page.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Head Nurse Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Head Nurse templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Head Nurse resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Head Nurse Resume

Head Nurse Resume Format And Sections

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1. Add Contact Information To Your Head Nurse Resume

Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document.

Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine.

Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching).

Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

Head Nurse Resume Contact Information Example #1

Dhruv Johnson

d.johnson@email.com | 333-111-2222 | www.linkedin.com/in/dhruv-johnson

Do you want to know more?
How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
2

2. Add Your Relevant Education To The Resume

Your resume's education section should include:

  • The name of your school
  • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
  • The name of your degree
If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

Optional subsections for your education section include:

  • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
  • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
  • Extra certifications
  • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc.)

Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

  • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
  • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
  • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
  • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school
Check More About Head Nurse Education
Majors
Nursing
81.9%
Nursing Science
3.1%
Psychology
2.2%
Education
1.7%
Show More

Head Nurse Resume Relevant Education Example #1

Associate's Degree In Nursing 2013 - 2015

Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ

Head Nurse Resume Relevant Education Example #2

Associate's Degree In Nursing 2011 - 2013

St. Louis Saint Louis, MO

3

3. Next, Create A Head Nurse Skills Section On Your Resume

Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

  • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
  • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
  • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job
Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

Example Of Head Nurse Skills For Resume

  • Acute Care Skills

    The branch of secondary healthcare which is responsible for giving short-term care to patients recovering from severe injuries or urgent medical problems is known as acute care. Acute care comprises multiple domains like; emergency care, urgent care, short-term stabilization, pre-hospital care, critical care, and trauma care.

  • CPR Skills

    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

  • Oncology Skills

    Oncology is defined as the facet of medicine that deals with cancer. Oncology also deals with the prevention and diagnosis of these diseases. A medical professional who has studied the discipline of oncology is referred to as an 'oncologist'. An oncologist can further specialize in their discipline and become a medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, or radiation oncologist.

  • Triage Skills

    Triage is a method of prioritizing a patient or a group depending on the severity, diagnosis, and condition of the disease needing immediate medical care. It is often to determine a condition and identifying the appropriate destination before assessing where the patient will be going. A triage nurse commonly performs it.

  • ICU Skills

    ICU means intensive care units. It also has a name known as the critical care unit or intensive therapy unit. The ICU handles patients experiencing acute diseases or severe injuries that need specialized treatment procedures by specific professionals.

  • Patient Care Skills

    Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Top Skills for a Head Nurse

Source: Zippia.com
  • Patients, 31.0%
  • BLS, 9.1%
  • Compassion, 6.3%
  • Acute Care, 6.1%
  • Other Skills, 47.5%
Not sure which skills are really important?
3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
4

4. List Your Head Nurse Experience

The most important part of any resume is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of engineers" and "Managed a team of 6 engineers over a 9-month project."

Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

Don't have any experience?
How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any
Work History Example # 1
Critical Care Nurse
Methodist Hospital
  • Performed clinical procedures utilizing non-invasive monitoring equipment (EKG/defibrillator).
  • Initiated triage to numerous patients simultaneously and performed patient classification in the triage process.
  • Maintained confidentiality concerning patient, family and client facility staff.
  • Rotated through all units to include ortho, neuro, diabetic, cardiac, urology, oncology and post partum.
  • Worked a 48 hour week with Residents and Interns.
Work History Example # 2
Pediatric Nurse
Genesis HealthCare
  • Managed the clinical reimbursement coordinators traveling schedule to ensure that facilities had adequate MDS coverage.
  • Delegated tasks to CNAs; worked on Step-Down, TCU and Med-Surg floors.
  • Experienced with pediatric patients ages newborn to young adult.
  • Responded to codes, administering CPR and oxygen, monitoring vitals and preparing medications in anticipation of physician orders.
  • Cross-trained to newborn nursery and post partum areas.
Work History Example # 3
Head Nurse
Park Nicollet Medical Center
  • Completed Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and EKG interpretation.
  • Specialized in neurosurgery; back, neck, brain surgeries.
  • Interfaced with all levels of internal/external management while balancing workload prioritization.
  • Assumed full care of 3-4 NICU clients.
  • Cultivated awareness among staff concerning pressure ulcer prevention, assisting in planning, development, and implementation of prevention program.
Work History Example # 4
Nurse Coordinator
Largo Medical Center
  • Introduced continuous quality assurance program to Maternal/Newborn programs.
  • Served as LPN at hospital located within maximum-security correctional facility housing approximately 3,500 inmates.
  • ACLS-qualified Med-Surg nurse to Cardio-Pulmonary Unit.
  • Contributed to the telemetry and radiology departments
  • Completed patient care assessment & evaluation, in patients in the PICU, CTICU and NICU
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5. Highlight Your Head Nurse Certifications On Resume

Certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers that you know your stuff. If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your head nurse resume:

  1. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
  2. Medical Assistant
  3. Certified Nurse Technician (CNT)
  4. Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC)
  5. Family Nurse Practitioner
  6. Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
  7. Certified Nurse Educator (CNE)
  8. Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN)
  9. Adult, Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care Nurses (CCRN)
  10. Medical-Surgical Nursing (RN-BC)

More Certifications For Head Nurse
6

6. Finally, Add a Head Nurse Resume Summary Or Objective Statement

A resume summary statement is a 1-3 sentence spiel at the top of your resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. In this section, include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

Remember to address skills and experiences that are emphasized in the job description.

Are you a recent grad?
Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement

And If You’re Looking for a Job, Here Are the Five Top Employers Hiring Now:

  1. American Red Cross Jobs (12)
  2. New York University Jobs (7)
  3. University Hospitals Jobs (19)
  4. Primary Care Partners Jobs (6)
  5. Health Alliance Jobs (7)

Common Head Nurse Resume Skills

  • Patients
  • BLS
  • Compassion
  • Acute Care
  • Acls
  • CPR
  • Oncology
  • Surgery
  • Patient Education
  • Triage
  • ICU
  • Patient Care
  • Direct Patient Care
  • Discharge Planning
  • Patient Safety
  • Infection Control
  • IV
  • Emergency Care
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Medical Assistants
  • Vital Signs
  • EKG
  • Advanced Life Support
  • FTE
  • Medication Administration
  • Staff Development
  • Resuscitation
  • Critical Care
  • Primary Care
  • Medical Care
  • Chemotherapy
  • Telemetry
  • Staff Nurses
  • Quality Patient Care
  • Catheter
  • Staff Education
  • CCU
  • Surgical Procedures
  • MDS
  • Educational Programs
  • Patient Flow
  • JCAHO
  • Health Education
  • Physician Orders
  • Staff Performance
  • Patient Assessment
  • Performance Evaluations
  • Performance Appraisals

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Updated May 19, 2023